How to Hydrate on Cool Days

It’s easy to remember to drink enough during hot-weather exercise because, well, it’s hot, you’re sweating, and you generally feel thirsty. But what about when the temperature drops? You don’t need as much fluid as you do on hot days because you’re losing less of it, and your body doesn’t have to work as hard to keep your core cool. But it can be surprisingly easy to get dehydrated: Cyclists simply forget to drink.

“You’re not dripping sweat, but you’re still losing body water through respiration as your body warms the air you’re breathing to protect your lungs, and through light perspiration,” says Stanford-based sports nutritionist and physiologist Stacy Sims, PhD.

As a rule of thumb, you should drink about 0.1 ounces of fluid per pound of body weight per hour, in temperatures of about 75 °F and below, says Sims. That’s 15 ounces for a 150-pound rider. Obviously, exercise intensity plays a role, too. You’ll need a bit more if you’re going harder, less if you’re just tooling around.

One easy way to trick yourself into drinking enough when you otherwise may not feel like drinking? Warm up your water, says Sims. “Having a warm drink helps increase your core temperature, so your body doesn’t have to do as much vasoconstriction. Having a drink with sodium also improves hydration and encourages you to drink more.”

That doesn't mean you have to drink hot water with a clump of salt thrown in (yuck). Try some Skratch Labs Apples & Cinnamon mix in an insulated bottle for some tasty electrolytes that will keep you sipping away even when the weather isn’t warm.

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